About Me

My love and I on our honeymoon in Rome.

The Whole Crew, Chicago 2012

I was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue after a several years of extreme illnesses, exhaustion, unexplained tummy issues, “ulcers”, etc through a biopsy. I will never forget standing in my wedding gown for the last fitting, answering the phone and hearing the diagnosis. I was a bit… well.. gobsmacked, to say the least. The doctor stated the mystery disease and told me that I could not eat “cake, bread, pasta, pizza.. that kind of thing.” ummm… Hello? We were getting married in three weeks and heading to Rome for our Honeymoon a month later. No cake? No pasta? No what??

It certainly made me think about everything we ingested even more than I had before. After hanging up (and finishing the fitting), I ran to the computer and began my search for information. I didn’t even know how to spell Celiac – let alone make appropriate decisions for my diet! I called my love, who in turn stopped at the local bookstore on his way home from work. So there we sat, at 11:00 at night, pouring over recipes from Bette Hagman and “googling” everything that came to mind.

That was in October of 2000… after many years of illness. When I look back on pictures from before my diagnosis, I am strangely holding my stomach in ALL of them. Huh. I knew it hurt. I knew my body wasn’t happy. But I never knew I grabbed my side or stomach all the time. Proof in the pictures. And my complexion, my lack of energy, my inability to focus, the hospital and medical bills… the list goes on and on. I found a lot help online, reading cookbooks and as many other materials as I could find about Celiac.

It still surprises me a bit when I meet other people with Celiac or when a query about specific ingredients in something is met with the response, “Do you have Celiac?”. What? You know about this too? How cool!

And Why, yes. Yes, I do. And it’s not going away – so it’s better to just grab it by the horns.. and well.. bake, cook, and enjoy life again.

I started this blog (in 2005) as a way to connect with my family/friends and share recipes. It’s really just something I do to keep myself mentally engaged and connected. I’m a full time teacher and a full time mom…certainly not a full-time blogger. However, if you ever have a question, please feel free to email me. I will help whenever I can. The online gluten free community saved me when I first started out. I can only hope that something I share here will help someone else in return. After all, if it weren’t for the resources or people I had found, I don’t know where I’d be.

PS. Why is an American girl like me using the word “Gobsmacked”? Well, quite honestly it’s because most Americans don’t know what “gobsmacked” even means – but we might like the sound of it. And then when people learn that it means to be astounded and made speechless, it completely fits. Here’s a similar concept: Celiac? What does that mean? And yes, it’s astounding to learn what our immune system is doing to our bodies! And what do I have to avoid/not eat? OH MY! YES! I was completely GOBSMACKED!

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65 comments on “About Me”

I love your site! The pictures are amazing! I hope to be able to cook more now that my husband is home (from Iraq). Until now I was gluten free alone, so I got used to eating out gluten free, since it was just me. I can’t wait to try some of these ideas!!

Thank you so much for your kind comments! =) It’s fun to share recipes with everyone – and the pictures are a blast to take and figure out! I hope you share your baking results!

And more than anything, I’m happy to hear of your husband’s safe return home!! =)

this is a website that every person new to eating g/f should know about…………….and the pictures are fantastic!……………………that’s what really got my attention…………………………

thank you so much for being THERE.

Thanks for swinging on by g/f Salt. There is a a huge community of gluten-free/Celiac people in the blog world. I hope you find exactly what you are looking for and more while you surf thorugh all our GF blogs! =) -Kate

Although I’m not Celiac, the need to be GF hit me like a ton of bricks. I love to cook and your blog seem the perfect place to start. I’m the only one in my family and my group of friends. They are wonderful, but your recipes really help me help them. Thanks!!

I hope this finds you well. I would love to interview you for a 3-part article I am writing about living with Celiacs. (I am have it too.) If you would be interested, please contact me. Part 1 is published on http://www.attributemagazine.com.

OMG, I was just Gobsmacked by my own diagnosis. I too have had non-specific symptoms for years. While I mourn the loss of pasta and bread (among the millions of other things I can’t eat) I am pleased to see that so many others are in the same boat, and dealing with it, and feeling better. At least there is a lot of information out there. Now if I could just make time to cook….

Hi Kate–You know I’ve been enjoying your blog for quite some time. Remember how I told you I was working on my blog? Well, I finally gave birth to this “baby” late last night. (I guess since my son turns 21 on Friday, I just had to start all over! LOL) My blog is GFE–Gluten Free Easily at glutenfreeeasily.com. Of course, I’ve linked you in my blogroll! Thanks so much for all the wonderful info you share here. Come visit! P.S. Hoping things are progressing well towards bringing your little girl home!

Just when I think I’ve found all of the GF pages and blogs and sites on the Web, I manage to stumble over another. And I learn so much more. After decades of stomach and other problems, and countless doctor bills, my GI doc did a major battery of tests and said “Not sprue”, and washed his hands of me. But gluten and corn put me in agony. I’m not sure what else causes this besides sprue, but discovering what was making me sick, and learning how to eat without all that has been a godsend. And now I’m so happy that I’ve found your blog! You’ve just added so much more to my GF arsenal. Thank you so very much for sharing this with all of us!

Andrine,
I had my kids tested for wheat and milk allergies this week and the tests at the allergist were negative, I thought for sure they would be positive. But the allergist said you may not be “allergic” to something but that doesnt mean you can tollerate it. Therefore my kids are not “allergice” to wheat or milk, but they are “intollerant” of these things because we know what happens when they eat them. Just wanted to let you know that nothing in medicine is absolute, but if YOU know that something bothers you then remove it and see how you do. I know that having a definate diagnosis can make us feel better mentally, but listen to your body and let it have the final say:)

Andrine & Susan, If you (or your children) have been eating gluten-free and/or dairy-free for at least 3 months, I am told that you will not show the antibodies to these foods in the allergy tests–possibly a sort of false-negative. I was diagnosed with colitis for 16 years before using the Atkins eating plan for weight loss. At the time I did not connect the freedom from diarrhea, bloat, stomach pain, etc with the Atkins program being essentially gluten-free at that level. Having been gluten-free for 10 years now, the physician tells me that I must go back to eating wheat, grains, etc. for 3-6 months before we can do the testing to see if I can properly be diagnosed as celiac. No thanks! I will not do that to my body for the sake of a medical diagnosis. Eating gluten-free has eliminated all of the troublesome gastric symptoms and I intend to keep it that way! Just found this website while looking for a lunch bread/bun recipe. Great site, Kate–thanks for what you do to help all of us!

I love this site. I found it gooling GF pot stickers and have been reading it for about 3 days now. I love it! Thank You for posting GF Asian dishes. I just started doing GF in March. I’m not really allergic but I feel so good on it that I really hate going back. I got turn on to GF when I read in Elle magazine that it helps with depression. I’ve been a life long sufferer of this, even as a child. I’ve tired every single thing-pills, exercise, therapy, you name it. But nothing has helped as much as GF. I’m going to try the GF pot stickers in the next few days and let you know. I’m wondering if there is a GF version of those Chinese round bread with meat stuffings-can’t remember what they’re called in English. BTW your baby girl is absolutely beautiful!! Please keep on blogging about GF and your beautiful family!

Hi Kate,
I have a recipe idea that works for me that I would like to share. I had a few pudding/upside down cakes that I made before my GF days. The recipes make a cake that sits in a sauce. None of these recipes worked with my GF flours. I think the GF flour did not form enough of a barrier with the liquid or fruit to create a sauce. What I got was a mushy cake with no sauce. Once I realized that the “barrier” was the missing ingredient I simply put the liquid or fruit in a pan and then covered it with a hard piece of rice paper that touched the sides of my round pan. I could then scoop the cake on the rice paper and pop it in the oven. The rice paper softened during cooking and disappeared but it lasted long enough to keep the cake and liquid from mixing. Try it with any of your favourite old recipes.
Karen

I just want to say thank you…. I stumbled across your website looking for GF bread recipes and to my sons absolute delight found all of your awsome recipes. We are new to GF and my son has been very ill. His appetite has dwindled to pretty much yogurt and chicken…. he just cries over not having pea nut butter and jelly sandwiches anymore… you have saved the day by bringing back some old favorites such as pancakes (the mixes we have tried were just horrible) and brought us new ones that we have just drooled over. My son is autistic and he just loves looking at the pictures. Thank you for making this moms conversion to the GF lifestyle so much easier. Maybe I can actually get this little guy to start eating again minus the chronic belly aches.

I just came across your site tonight – I can’t thank you enough for sharing your talents! I have not been diagnosed as Celiac, but, I know how I feel when I eat something with gluten! I used to bake (w/fresh ground wheat!) all the time. Once I stopped eating gluten, my baking almost stopped. Just tonight I made regular biscuits for my family, and TRIED to make a GF version for me, with Pamela’s baking mix. HORRIBLE…I don’t know if I have a bad batch of the mix, but this is the second thing I’ve made with it, and couldn’t choke it down!! So, I began my searcrh for yummy gf baked goods, and here is where I ended up!

My 4 yr old son was just diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. (A-symptomatic- thank goodness). I just stumble over your site. I’m putting it in my favorites! Thank goodness for people like you- who are willing to take time to put these recipes together and share them with all of us. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll let you know how my son likes your concoctions!

I just did a search for gluten free sugar cookies in anticipation of the holidays, and came across your blog!

I think we may have been on the same waiters blog awaiting the arrival of our children from Korea! I remember a Kate that discussed gluten free food, and was having the same frustration waiting as us I think we came home with our son just a week before your daughter came home…

So glad your little girl is home! Glad I found your site–I look forward to trying many recipes!

Thanks so much for your website. My son was just tested for food allergies and is definitely wheat allergic. Until yesterday I was unaware that gluten-free meant wheat free…now I’m apalled that my Wal-Mart does not have a gluten-free section :-). What a time to go gluten-free. Today, Dec. 23 is our baking day and I had just bought new wheat flour! Oh well. We’re going to embrace this as a family and support our five-year old son in the new lifestyle changes. I am heading to the local co-op to look for all those ingredients that you list in your own GF flour concoction. I thank you so much for taking time out of your busy life to give us newbies these special recipes so that our families may still partake of the yummy treats as this wonderful time of year. I can’t wait to read more about you adoptions and your family. God bless you and yours!

Heather, keep checking your Wal-Mart. Our local Wal-Mart put in about a 5-foot section of gluten-free products January 2011. They have Tinkyada brown rice pasta which has the best texture of any commerical noodles I have yet found. Also a variety of crackers, some glten-free flours in packets, cookies… If your store does not have these products yet, keep requesting them from the manager and let the manager know that these products ARE in their computer-ordering system.

I am finding your website to be very informative. My daughter and I were just diagnosed. We also discovered that their was a very strong genetic link in our family and are encouraging all our family members to be tested. Celiac can be concerning because even though you may not have symptoms damage is still being done. We of course had all the weird hard to explain symptoms, but are relieved to be feeling better. We are very excited about some of your recipes and links and are looking forward to experimenting. Thanks Again

Thank you for sharing your recipes! My mother in law has celiac and while both my husband and son have tested negative for celiac, they both show signs of intolerance to gluten. So we try to go as gluten free as possible. Thanks to your simple and easy ideas I have been able to make our house almost completly gluten free! It is a joy to know that I can provide a lot of options that are healthy and easy for my family. Food is no longer boring and bland at our house! Thank you and please keep on sharing!

I discovered your site through a mention on another site, and I have been happily devouring your recipes ever since. I just made the cheese rolls the other night, and holy cow, were those good! I made five big rolls for our hamburgers, and in two days, my husband devoured three and a half of those rolls. He is saving the fourth one for his supper tonight. It’s so much cheaper than buying the mix, and absolutely delicious. That recipe is a real winner, and it is one I will be making for a long time. It is almost impossible to get a good roll or pizza crust at the stores, or online, and it can be a dreadfully expensive and tasteless experience. Thanks so much for sharing your kitchen expertise and your ideas with us. It has made being gluten free something to celebrate. I don’t eat many starchy things at all, but those buns will be a mainstay for me, and I will always be grateful to you every time I make them, and your other recipes. Thanks for some fantastic ideas.

I am sitting here with Molly K.Keller we live in the same neighborhood …
I was telling her about my blog and she told me to come see yours! I have
friends who are always looking for GF recipes… I will send her your way…
do you have a google connect friend follow??

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease three years ago, and I went on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet almost instantly. I can’t have wheat, gluten, sugar, or starches. But most of the time I don’t mind. I’m living, Praise God, and I’m enjoying the wide variety of food still open to me!

Terrific site. My husband & son are gluten intolerant. It is so hard to find bread or get good recipes. We live in Queensland, Australia and recently my sister-in-law (who is gluten intolerant too) found great bread that is goregous. I actually love the stuff. But of course it is expensive.
I will have to go and get some new flours to try out your recipes. I currently buy Orgran flour – but I find it a bit expensive. I want my son to have a larger reportoire of food as Corn thins aren’t cutting it some days.
Thanks again for a great blog & congratulations on your pregnancy.
Great photos of your little girl too.

YOU HAVE SAVED MY LIFE ! MY SON HAS BEEN DIGNOSED WITH CELIAC DISEASE OVER A MONTH AGO AND THANK HEAVENS I FOUND YOUR SITE AS I HAD NO CLUE WHAT TO FIX HIM FOR LUNCH, YOUR SITE HAS BEEN A LIFESAVER.
I WANT TO THANK YOU AND TO SEND YOU AND YOUR LITTLE GIRL AND BABY TO COME SOMETHING, I NEED YOUR ADDRESS SO PLEASE EMAIL ME.
LOTS OF LOVE,
ROSE

I’m glad the recipes have been helpful, Rose! There is no reason to send us anything – your message made my day!
Thanks for commenting! I’m glad to know my ramblings and postings are helpful for people!
~Kate

Hi Kate what an informative and useful site you have here. I would like to thank you for all the time and effort you have put in. I live in NZ and we are just starting a GF life hoping to encourage our married Celiac son to take care of himself and to help with our own health issues. I have just spent my morning browsing your site…lol and am a little scared on starting/stalling the baking.

Hi Kate,
I came across your website tonight looking for a gluten-free apple crisp recipe. You see my son was diagnosed with autism about 8 months ago and the doctor put him on a gluten-free diet. My husband and I have noticed a change. We actually started an organization to recognize autism and its signs to aid in early detection. While our son is only two years old, he is likely to mainstream into “normal” society due to his early intervention therapies. We are so grateful that we wanted to help other families educate themselves on autism.
I have used your recipe in our website because we like to list gluten-free recipes as many autistic children are on that diet. I hope you do not mind as you will be helping people enjoy food again!
Thank You,
Jodi Rucki

I recently diagnosed myself as “Celiac”, and how you describe your experience sounds so familiar- ever since babyhood, I’ve had recurring bouts of tummy-aches, many severe enough to put me to tears. It has taken until my thirties to finally be sick enough of being sick. After just two days gluten-free, I was 80% better, and finally sleeping at night. Now, a week later, my blood-shot eyes have cleared up, and I might even pass for healthy!

Being an avid baker/cook, it makes sense that I should learn how to make substitutions, so that I could eat some of what I bake (the peach cobbler last night smelled WAY too good to miss ever again). Your website is informative and fantastic.

Thanks also, for sharing the story of your adoption. My husband and I are planning to adopt from the Philippines this year, and we loved reading about your family.

Thanks for the great information. We are now a GF household after my two children (7 and 3) were diagnosed with CD 6 months ago. It is still somewhat confusing reading labels at the grocery store. I went to trader Joe’s today and they gave me their GF-shopping list. Although they state that no gluten ingredients were added to these products they can still be processed in a facility that processes wheat. I am curious as to what others feel about this statement. It is safe to eat these products. I know if it was me that had CD, I could try the food and see if I had symptoms. But with my kids, they cannot/do not always tell me if they are feeling bad or how certain foods affect them. Any comments are appreciated. Sony

Hi Sony –
You bring up a great topic: cross contact with ingredients during processing is something that many people avoid at all costs. Not all companies are forthcoming in their preparation of products and it can cause problems. I encourage you to read up on this issue and make contact with specific manufacturers that have products you are interested in. That way you can make the best decision for your family with solid information/specific information.
-good luck!
-Kate

I am trying to find recipes for the holidays for my adult daughter who has Celiac Disease and Diabetes. I am looking for things we will all enjoy. I am going to try and adapt your apple crisp recipe. I have not found a website with recipes that integrate these two diets in recipes. Do you know of any? My daughter has had diabetes for 35 years and undiagnosed CD for probably longer but was diagnosed five years ago. As a matter of interest Doctors believe that the CD was the immune system stressor that triggered her diabetes. Just trying to do better with the holidays. Cynthia

After many years of doctors playing with the idea that gluten was a problem (and then dismissing the idea when blood work came back) I finally had an alternative doctor say, “Hey, forget blood work, get off the gluten! Maybe for a while, maybe forever, we’ll see what happens.”

After three months GF, I decided to indulge for a day, see what happened. I can tell you that although I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia over 10 years ago, I have NEVER experienced pain that bad or that intense in all of my life.

Came across your blog in looking for gluten free recipes for holiday cookies and appetizers that I would like to make for a family gathering. I have 2 siblings and 2 nieces on from each sibling that all have Celiac. All of your recipes look yummy. I will be passing along your blog to my sister for her to check out.
Please check out this blog if you have a chance. google celiacinthecity. This is a family friend who also has celiac as well.
Happy New Year to you
Dee

Kate, thanks for sharing your story. When I first found out that there might be a connection between eating gluten free and how I would feel, I was quite skeptical to say the least. Even though I had the dermititis herp….I forget how to spell it and it was just a fluke that I happened upon a photo of this and more information about celiacs that helped me make the connection, I really didn’t want to believe it. I was devastated at first, how was I to live without all of my favorite foods? It is because of lovely generous people like you that I now believe that I do not have to live without all of my favorite foods, I only have the live without gluten and all of the trouble that came with it.

Thank you for all of the time you have put into this site. I can’t wait to visit here more often.
Best wishes,
Allison

Hi there Ms. Gf, i have been reading your site for over two years. I have a gluten intolerance and lactose intolerance. A few things, you have adorable kids, you are super strong for changing your diet and not letting it get you down anymore. Also, like most gf people, i am sure you read shauna’s site, but supposedly italy has supposed to have a lot of gf places to eat. Just wanted you to know and good luck.
Samantha

Hello! I just wanted to drop a note to say I love your blog, and was surprised at how your story reflects quite a bit of mine. My husband happened upon your blog when searching for proper GF crepes, one of the few things I was truly going to miss and could not find a replacement for. I’ve been GF for 3 weeks now, and have made them more times than I can count. We are also in the final stages of our homestudy, looking to adopt (domestic newborn) after 5 long years of TTC with multiple infertility issues (and many failed IVF’s and FET’s). Your family is beautiful! Thanks for the great blog.

Kate, I’ve been following your blog for years, but never bothered to leave a reply. So this is a long-overdue thanks for sharing your life and your recipes! Your blog is always my first stop when I need a new recipe.

Since my husband was diagnosed with Celiacs 7 years ago, I seem to keep running into people who are struggling to stay gluten-free. I share lots of recipes and advice, and they frequently say I should start a blog. My standard reply is “Oh no, just read Kate’s, she does it far better than I ever could!” So thanks for keeping lots of us baking!

And by the way, although I love reading your blog, I’m so glad to see that you’ve slowed down since having kids. I’m a mom, a high school teacher, and a gluten-free cook. If you still had as much time to blog as you did 3 years ago I’d be thoroughly depressed! Nevertheless, I appreciate your inspiration and down-to-earth way of living. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your comments. You’ve made my week. It’s definitely a different world with two little ones in tow – but I really enjoy blogging. I’m glad whatever little bit I’m throwing out there is enjoyed by someone! I sincerely appreciate your joyful comments. I’d love to blog more because I think it’s important to keep up on news and help everyone who is on this glutne-free path. There is just not enough time in the day for all the things I want to do! If only I could find a symbotic blog-post writer… and dust-bunny clearer…then life would be perfect.

My sister sent me this website. I have celiac disease. I was diagnosed about 6 or 7 years ago. I’ve learned there is lots of info out there, on line, in books, blogs and restuarants in the Denver area at least are becoming much more aware of our eating needs and coming up with GF menus. Also the sister that sent me this site also adopted a daughter about 15 years ago. Her emotions leading up to and going and picking up her daughter were all over the board. I can’t imagine life without my neice Hai. I will definately come back to this site to follow your adoption adventure.

Love your site and insight! Thanks for helping me to learn more (I’m a newbie) and to digest living GF… well, more digest-ably. I’ll be following your blog and recipes as long as they’re there! Thanks so much again!!

Love your site and looking forward to trying your recipes! I’m not celiac but I am gluten intolerant and feel so much better when I keep it out of my diet. Thank you for sharing your story and recipes!

I hope you dont mind me contacting you – i found your blog whilst trying to find a bread recipe that is wheat free and fat free and also suitable for vegans (so no eggs butter or milk)!! I want to use wholegrain flours like millet, quinoa, brown rice, spelt – im not gluten intolerant but i do want to limit the amount of gluten and oils in my diet.

Can you help me ? I cant find anything at all and wandered if you could think of any combination i could try?
Thanks ever so much,
Stephanie x x x

I don’t have any experience making vegan breads, Steph – but I would start by using silken tofu and applesauce in place of SOME (if not 1/2) of the fats… then using Earth’s Balance to get the necessary fats in.

I know people often use the flaxseed emulsion to replace the eggs. But again, I have not tried it.

Hiya Kate! It’s your fave niece! I miss you so much, and I love what you do here on this website! It’s amazing how many things you can make with gluten-free things, and I love that you don’t let anything stop you. I love you!

Kate,
What did your family think of the first cookies baked at smiling mo’s bakery ? I hope you enjoyed them even though they were 5 days old. I tried to stop by before Christmas but noone was home and I didn’t want to leave them out for the Gluten Free Raccoons. Any feed back of how they were would be appreciated. Thanks and enjoy the New Year.
Mo

I’m a bit embarassed to tell you – but the new pup got to the plate before we got a chance to taste. If those date-chocolate chip cookies were on the plate, I’m sure I can attest to the delectable treat she devoured! Sorry, Mo! I might just have to find the bakery downtown and pick some up for us humans to munch on. xoxox Good luck with the bakery!

I just used your flour blend in place of flour and made the original toll house cookie from the Nestle’s choc. chip package. You know, the ones we grew up on? They are exactly like the original recipe in taste and texture. My husband says they are better. This is the second time I have made this recipe with your flour blend. They hold up the second day just as good. I wish I could tell you the 3rd day they were still delicious, but ours did not last that long! And a big thank you for all of your recipes. So many of them are now my go to recipes. You are my hero. Yes, I am so gobsmacked with your entire blog. AND, your family is adorable.

I am Jennifer. I found your Gluten Free Gobsmacked Bread Recipe several years ago and have used it almost daily since. It wasn’t until today that I found you have developed an entire website dedicated to GFGobsmacked recipes. Great job.

I must tell you that I a grateful for your recipe and have used it extensively. I have done some tweaking of it and also use it very broadly. I substituted buckwheat flour and oat flour for the tapioca flour to increase the nutrition. 1/4 cup each. Further I discovered that the mix does great rising in a bread pan for 30 min, then baked at 375 degrees for 30 min to turn out a loaf of bread that is so close to a wheat bread loaf that I usually have to tell others it is GF. I also shape the dough, with highly oiled hands, into whatever shape I want, hamburger buns, hotdog buns, even divide the dough into 12 equal parts and put it in muffin tin cups for dinner rolls. Another use, is for pizza crust. Instead of baking the wrap, I put on the sauce and toppings, then bake as usual. My family loves it.

Coming up next week I am teaching a class on GF and will use this recipe to demonstrate. I will be sure to send credit to you for the original recipe and give out your website if that is ok with you.

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